Two Clemson professors named among nation’s top ‘40 Under 40′

CLEMSON — Two Clemson University professors have been named among the nation’s 40 top young professors in a feature released by national online education publication NerdScholar.

Leidy Klotz and Steven V. Miller are included on NerdScholar’s inaugural “40 Under 40: Professors Who Inspire” list that celebrates young teachers under the age of 40 and the contributions they have made to their respective schools.

“Remember that teacher who left a mark on your life, who changed the way you think about the world,” asks NerdScholar’s website. “NerdScholar’s inaugural ’40 Under 40′ celebrates professors who are doing just that: cultivating passion in their students. Chosen based on nominations highlighting their love of teaching, these women and men are inspiring the young adults of today to be the world leaders and humanitarians of tomorrow.”

Professor Leidy Klotz

For the past six years, Klotz, a 35-year-old civil engineering professor from Cortland, New York, has been inspiring Clemson students to think green. He teaches about sustainable energy innovation, restoration and construction. He has firsthand knowledge from his time managing school building projects before arriving at Clemson.

“My curiosity inspires me to develop the material and methods, and my desire to make positive change inspires me to follow through,” he said.

Professor Steven V. Miller

Miller, 29, is a political science professor described by NerdScholar as having a “spirited determination to help students understand the world they live in.”

“In an increasingly complex world, the ability to think critically and analytically process data is crucial to basic literacy about politics and the world in which the student lives,” said Miller, who came to Clemson from Los Angeles.

Nominations for NerdScholar’s “40 Under 40” were collected through student and faculty recommendations, such articles as the Princeton Review’s Best Professors list and other pieces highlighting universities with outstanding professors, supplemented by such crowd-sourced review sites as RateMyProfessors and CourseRank.

“These 40 inspirational professors were nominated based on their ability to captivate and engage students in the classroom, desire to interact with students outside of class and collaborate on research projects,” said NerdScholar’s Gianna Sen-Gupta.

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Clemson UniversityRanked No. 21 among national public universities, Clemson University is a major, land-grant, science- and engineering-oriented research university that maintains a strong commitment to teaching and student success. Clemson is an inclusive, student-centered community characterized by high academic standards, a culture of collaboration, school spirit and a competitive drive to excel.

NerdScholarNerdScholar is a financial literacy website for students that empowers them to make smart financial choices. It free website walks students through the process of choosing a best-fit college, applying for financial aid, taking out student loans, paying back those loans and landing a job. Their NerdScholar FAFSA Guide, funded by a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, provides students with a step-by-step tutorial to use while applying for federal financial aid.